Caged In
by MortalFire101
Summary: Max has been caught and taken to the school because of her unstable emotions. Fang leaving has broken her and she is starting to slip away. Will Fang and the others be able to save her in time, or will she take her final breathe in a place she hates most?
1. Chapter 1

**Nudges pov.**

**Her cold distant face scared everyone. She came out of her room; no smiles, no hugs, and no "Good morning, how was your night?" None of that showed on her face. Just emptiness, anger, and a distance from everyone that covered up all the feelings she had inside. Even though it didn't show on her face, we all new she was sad. Maybe deep down inside where she could cover it all up; I mean Max has never been the kind of person who liked to show her feelings but seriously! He was her best friend, not to mention her boyfriend as well. They really liked each other but they spent way too much time together; they forgot all about us. Everything in her world was about Fang, and everything in his world was about Max; and he had decided to do something about it all.**

**He left. **

**It was 12:00 in the afternoon and everyone was in the living room except Max. Iggy was on the couch listening to the TV, Gazzy and Angel were playing checkers (remind me to ask them about that later), Dylan was in the kitchen looking for something to eat, and I was sitting in a chair thinking about life. You all know me as Nudge; I guess you could say that I have a disorder that allows me to talk for 10 whole minutes straight without realizing what I'm doing. I'm more of the girly-girl in this whole messed up family (and trust me this family is messed up), Angel could be too but she doesn't really care about all that stuff. Max is really pretty, but she is more of a tom-boy than anything. **

**We are 98% human and 2% avian-hybrid, made by the most sick, and twisted people in the world. We all grew up in a place called the school where they did experiments on us to see if we could become the new super human race. We had been at the school our whole lives, but one day one of the scientists came and freed us. His name is Jeb; Jeb taught us how to live and fight, telling us that one day we would do something great. One day Jeb disappeared and we all "new" he had died. It was four years later when **_**they**_** found us. They are called Erasers; 98% percent human and 2% lupine-hybrid. We have been running and fighting them our entire lives.**

**Max, she is fifteen and she has the abilities to fly at warp-speed, breath under water, she has a voice in her head, and she is the leader of the flock. Fang is fifteen too but he is a couple months younger than Max, he can turn invisible, breath under water, and he **_**used to be**_** her right wing man. Iggy is also fifteen but a few months younger than Fang. He is blind but he has super sensitive hearing, he can feel colors, make bombs and other things explode like no other, and we all hope that one day he will be able to see again. My name is Nudge, I am 12 years old and I can hack computers and attract metal. I am the girly-girl in the family, and I have a "disorder" that makes me talk a lot. Gazzy is eight and he is the biological brother of Angel. He and Iggy are masterminds at creating bombs. If you left Gazzy in a room with a paper clip and a bowl of beans he would somehow find a way to make it explode. He has a digestive problem that smells terrible! He can knock out a whole room of people just by letting one rip. Angel is seven and she hit the genetic jackpot. She can breathe under water, talk to fish, read your mind, control your mind, and shape shift a little bit. She recently turned bad and went to work with a person we all know as Dr. God. She predicted that Fang would be the first to die, kicked Max out of the flock, and took over. We met Dr. God when we were helping out at a sick center in wherever that was (I can't remember and I don't really care). That's where we met Dylan; Dylan looks fifteen but he is really only one year old. He is an excellent fighter, looks like Tom Cruz's twin, sings like there's no tomorrow, and he was created to be Max's perfect other half. Max isn't really into the whole idea but since Fang left she has warmed up to him a little bit. Even though she denies it every time you bring it up, you can totally tell she likes him the tiniest bit more. **

**Right now we are living in a two story house some where in Colorado. The CSM moved us to a different location some time ago after a little incident with some new creations those whack jobs made. (Let's just say the house was destroyed.) We all have our own rooms, with three guest bedrooms. The upper floor is where all the bedrooms are, and the lower is the kitchen, living room, and dining room. We spend most of our time either in our bedrooms, the living room, or outside. Its been really lonely around here; almost dead. Max has been in her room everyday, all the time unless she is getting food. We haven't heard from her in weeks; occasionally she would come down and sit on the couch for a few minutes and then get up and leave. That stopped a few weeks ago. **

**I decided I would go and check on her; all that time alone can't be healthy. I uncurled by legs from my chest and hopped off the couch. Iggy looked up at me raising one eyebrow; he heard the motion of me shaking my head and he went back to the TV. I walked up the stairs and went down the hall. I made a left and a right and stopped at the brown mahogany door. I knocked but knew I wouldn't get an answer so I opened her door. No Max. I turned and ran down the hall throwing open all the bedroom doors. Still no Max. This wasn't good; where could she be? I ran down the stairs and jumped of the front porch. My wings snapped open reflexively and I soared upward. I flew past the roof and looked around, but I didn't see her anywhere. I flew back down to the porch, my feet making a barely audible thunk as I landed. I ran inside the house and saw that everyone had migrated to the living room. I ran over to them and stood in front of the TV.**

"**Hey," Gazzy yelled**

"**Has anyone seen Max?" I asked quickly getting to the point**

"**She's probably up in her room sulking," replied Iggy**

"**No, she's not; I already checked there. As a matter of fact I already checked this whole house and outside," I said slightly annoyed**

"**I'll see if I can talk to her," Angel said**

**Angels face went slightly distorted as she sent a message to Max. After a while her face turned to worry.**

"**What is it?" I asked her**

"**She's not responding. It seems like she's to far away for me to get to her," Angel said looking scared**

"**She probably just went for a fly, and she used her super speed to get farther away," Iggy said trying to sound positive**

"**No. She didn't," Dylan replied coming up behind me making me jump**

**I turned around and saw Dylan walking down the stairs with an angry and worried expression on his face. I looked at his hands and saw a piece of paper, dyed red, held tight in one of his hands.**

"**Wha-what's that?" Gazzy stuttered**

**Dylan didn't say a word; he just handed me the paper. I looked down and saw the heading. **

**MAXIMUM RIDE IS DEAD **

**I didn't have to read the rest to know that this wasn't just some ordinary piece of paper. This paper was Max's ransom note, and the red stuff was her blood. Max had been gone for weeks and no one had noticed.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N****: This is my first story that I have posted on FanFiction! I hope you guys like it! My computer was being difficult when I posted my first chapter on here so it wouldn't let me post an authors note. So…here is what I was going to say in the first chapter:**

**The first part of this chapter is basically from the beginning of what happens in the first book of Maximum Ride…I wanted to have Max explain what was happening so that someone who wanted to read this story but didn't know a lot about the real books could catch on with what was happening in my story. Everything about the plot line after that, I created…**

**I want to apologize in advance…I don't have a beta so my chapters might suck…If anyone is interested in helping me out I would love to know! Thanks so much**** I really appreciate it! Sorry this A/N is so long but I hope I will make up for it with this semi-long chapter! Enjoy! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything other than the plot line after the first couple paragraphs in the first chapter…bummer…**

**Ch 2: **

_**Peaceful Sleep**_

**Max pov.**

**2 weeks before**

**The last thing I remember is- I was sitting in my room thinking of that backstabbing jerk/ex-boyfriend/ex-best friend. I had my headphones in my ears so I couldn't hear the sound of him opening my window and sliding into my room. The hairs on the back of my neck stood up; I ripped the headphones out of my ears and jumped off my bed twirling around. But no one was there. I new someone had been in my room, I could feel it. That's when everything went black.**

**I opened my eyes slowly, afraid to see where I was. I smelled the familiar scent of antiseptic, felt the familiar sensation of being strapped down to a table. I didn't have to open my eyes all the way to know I had been taken by those slimy nut jobs, back to the place I dreaded the most. The school.**

**I finally opened my eyes all the way, but was blinded by a bright light. My eyes snapped shut, and I heard a terrible low moan. I heard it again, and I realized it was me. I slowly opened my eyes again, ready for the pain but when I did there was nothing. I looked around my prison taking it all in. I was strapped down to a metal table with metal cuffs. The room was all white, with one window in the upper right corner. I'm guessing that's where the bright light had come from. The room was small and the only thing in it was the cold metal table standing in the middle of the floor. The metal door was across from me and I desperately tried to slip my hands out of the metal cuffs so I could get out. I moved my right arm, and a sharp intense pain shot through my whole body paralyzing me for a few seconds. WTH? I looked at my arm and gasped. There was a huge gash running down the length of my arm. It didn't look deep but that would definitely dampen my chance of ever getting out of here. Man it hurt like hell. My eyes scanned the rest of my body and I had a broken leg, my wings felt really sore, and there was blood on my shirt collar; probably from where that jerk had smacked me with a frying pan. I had to get out of here.**

**Present time**

**Everything hurt. My whole body was un-fire! They had done so many experiments on me and I couldn't take it anymore. Please let me die now!**

**That's when my voice decided to chime in. (Yeah, I said voice. Don't you have one?) **

"**You can't let your family down Max," said the voice**

"**They would do just fine without me. They've always been able to take care of themselves," I replied desperately**

"**That's not true Max and you know it. You have saved their butts too many times to count," **

"**It's not like they care, or even notice for that matter,"**

"**Just because they don't show it, it doesn't mean they don't appreciate everything you've done for them,"**

"**Ok then voice, if you're so smart then how do I get out of here?" I replied snidely**

**But of coarse that's when it decided to stay silent. Nice timing! I'm in so much pain, I can't even open my eyes. **

**All of a sudden I felt my body relax. My heart started to slow, and my breathing got ragged. I finally felt peace; not a care in the world. So this is what it felt like to die. It wasn't scary; I guess I had already accepted the fact that I would die. No one was coming for me. I was all alone. It got harder and harder to think through a complete thought. I was slowly loosing conscience, slipping into a peaceful sleep. A place without pain, and sadness.**

**I slipped and fell. **

**Fangs pov.**

**It's been six months since I left. I have my own flock now, and we are doing good. I mean I only have two others so far, but that's still progress. I found Jake first. He's twelve years old, has brown hair, gold eyes and his wings are a mixture of burgundy, dark brown and gold. He can slow down time, and see into the future. I found him in a rundown warehouse dying of starvation. I found Melanie around the same time. She is fifteen, has red hair, green eyes, and her wings are chocolate brown with white stripes. She can control the element of water, talk to animals, and she is good with plants. I found her in a tree, fending for herself. She had created a camouflage house made of flowers. It took me a while to actually find her, but when I did she was really calm; she didn't look scared at all. **

**We have been on the fly (authors note: Ha Ha**** on the fly****) for a couple weeks now; looking for other mutant bird kids in need of help. We were flying over New York sight-seeing when a thought popped into my head.**

"**Fang! Help, we need you now!" **

**It was Angel. I would recognize her voice anywhere. **

"**Angel I'm sorry but I can't come back. I have my own family to take care of. Max can fend for herself," I thought back at her**

"**No, she can't! She's not here," Her voice immediately saying back to me**

"**What do you mean she's not there? She's your leader," I replied getting mad. I knew she would be angry and sad for a while after I left, but leaving the flock alone? What did she think was going to happen?**

"**Fang…Max is dead," she said slowly. I could hear the pain in her voice**

**I was so shocked that I forgot to flap. I dropped a few feet but got it together and flew back up to my flock. Max was dead? She couldn't be dead; I would know if she was dead. **

"**Fang focus! We need your help finding her. There is a twenty percent chance that she could still be alive, and we need to find her now,"**

**Twenty percent chance that Max, my Max could still be alive. Only twenty percent. Even though it was so little of a chance that I would find her alive, I would still take it. I would save Max if it was the last thing I did. Just because I left doesn't mean I don't love her still.**

"**Ok Angel, what did you have in mind?" I thought back at her**

"**Ok, here's the plan," she replied hastily **


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: **_**Hey everyone! Thanks for all the reviews! I really appreciate it**** I just wanted to say that for anyone who is confused; this story takes place after Fang, not Angel. Sorry for the misunderstanding…Hope you like this chapter**

**Ch 3:**

_**Lets All Stop For Coffee!**_

**Angels pov.**

**We were almost there; I could see it not too far away. I hope we can save max in time. Fang said he would meet us in Albany, New York in a little coffee shop called Java Stop. I missed him a lot, and I couldn't wait too see him again. I promised myself that I wouldn't show him how excited I was to see him, for max. I wasn't sure if we would make it, but I hoped with everything I had that we would. I know I kicked her out of the flock, and tried to take over but that time was over. I loved max and ever since Fang left I have tried my hardest to get on her good side. I want to be her favorite child again; her baby. **

**While I was stuck in my own reality, we had made it too the coffee shop. We were making slow circles around the roof of the building, getting closer and closer. Finally my feet skidded across the roof and I lightly dropped down. I pulled my wings in tight and stopped waiting for the others to land. Gazzy landed second, showing off as always doing a small flip before landing. He ran towards me waiting for the others as well. Iggy and Nudge landed at the same time doing the old fashion drop and bend your knees so no one hears the loud thunk of your feet hitting the cement. Dylan went last; he tucked his wings in and dropped down like a rocket towards the roof. At the last moment his wings snapped open and he landed lightly on the roof.**

"**Nice," Gazzy commented**

**Dylan nodded, obviously still on edge about max being kidnapped. He had been beating himself up ever since he found out. He hadn't told anyone, but since I can read minds…Well you know the rest. **

**I turned around to find an emergency exit. I tried the handle and it creaked open; obviously it hadn't been used in quite a while. I looked inside and found a series of stairs leading down towards the coffee shop. I used my skill to see if anything was waiting for us below but found nothing.**

"**The coast is clear," I whispered**

**Everyone nodded and we made our way down to the coffee shop. **

**At the bottom there was another old, wooden door. This one was unlocked just like the first. I opened this one and saw a huge storage room. I walked inside and saw boxes everywhere; all labeled something different. One of them said MOUSETRAPS! Why the heck would someone store mousetraps? If that got out their business would drop quite a lot. I passed rows and rows of boxes and finally came upon a metal door. This time we weren't as fortunate. **

"**Nudge, come here. I need you to unlock this door," I said**

**Nudge quietly crept her way towards me and the door. She closed her eyes and touched the handle. There was a quite **_**click! **_**And the door swung open.**

"**Good job," I whispered**

**She smiled at me and walked through the door. I went after her and when I walked inside I was shocked at what I saw. There were people everywhere! Wow, this place was really crowded. I thought Fang said a quiet, undisturbed area? I walked farther and realized that we had come through a side door hidden in the wall. I guess they didn't want people finding their mousetraps; convenient. **

**I looked around for Fang but didn't find him anywhere. I sent him a message and I he answered me almost immediately. **

"_**We are in the back of the store, sitting in the booth on the left," **_

**I motioned for everyone to follow me and I started to head for the back of the store. I tried my hardest to slip around everyone but managed to accidentally bump into a few people. I got a few **_**"Hey watch it!"**_** from some people, and I guess our stay off the radar wasn't really working.**

**We finally made it to the back of the store, and I saw them sitting in a booth on the left just like he said. I walked over to them, and they all stood up. **

"**Angel! You look all grown up," Fang said to me smiling**

"**Unfortunately I can't say the same for you," I replied. I guess I hadn't realized how angry I was at him for leaving until now.**

**His smile disappeared, instantly replaced by a frown. I could tell he was sad; that's what you get buddy! No one else moved or said anything else. I guess everyone was just as mad at him as I was.**

"**I think introductions should be made," Fang said**

**I nodded and introduced everyone from our side. Fang introduced everyone from his side and we put on our best fake smiles and nodded.**

**Fang stood up straight and said, "Sorry for the crowd. I thought it would be less…populated; it normally is,"**

"**It's fine; we didn't realize it would take this long to get here," I replied**

"**Well you're here now aren't you?" he said trying to be positive**

**The only problem with trying to be positive is that this is not a positive situation.**

"**Fang we have a problem. We didn't realize it would take this long to get here, and we used up a lot of time. Now Max only has a 10% chance of surviving," I replied; beating around the bush. This was definitely not a positive situation.**


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N**_**: Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while since I last updated, but school work has been really stressful lately and my school is about to start testing so….Yeah :P Anyways! I hope this chapter makes up for it even though it's sort of a filler chapter. I will probably be able to post two or three chapters before next Friday, which is when I'm going to D.C. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Till next time! :D**

**Ch 4:**

_**Identical Robots**_

**Fangs pov.**

**The plan sounded good so far. We knew where they were keeping Max thanks to Dylan (who I hate with all my guts, and who I hope falls into a wood chipper,) and we were going over all the strategies just in case something went wrong.**

**My eyes wandered away from the table looking around the coffee shop. My thoughts drifted to Max; a million questions flowing through my mind. What were they doing to her? Was she ok? Was she in pain? This was all my fault. If I hadn't of left she wouldn't be in this situation; none of us would be in this situation. I should have just stayed put and been grateful for everything I had. I had a family that loved me, a place to stay, food to eat, people who cared about my safety, and most of all Max. Max had finally realized she loved me and I threw it all away. She probably hates me; she probably found someone else. The only thing I could think to answer that unspoken question was: I deserve it.**

**I couldn't think about this anymore. I was getting more and more depressed thinking of Max's future with someone else. I let my eyes wander again, and my eyes almost popped out of my head (well…not really…I'm Fang and my eyes don't pop. Especially out of my head). I looked up and half of the people in the building were staring at me. I looked closely at one of the men staring at me and I swear I saw a red light where his eyes should be. They all looked the same. Same eye color, same hair color, same everything! I looked away from the man but all the others were gone; I looked back at the man but I was shocked to see that he was gone too. This was getting really weird. **

**I turned to Angel and asked, "Can you check the minds of all the people in here?"**

**She read my mind and she automatically closed her eyes; searching the minds of all the "humans" in the building.**

"**Fang we have to leave! Now!" Angel yelled at me grabbing my hand and tugging me out of the booth.**

"**Why, what's wrong?" Gazzy yelled back looking scared**

"**Not now! I'll tell you once we're out of here," she said tugging me harder looking more frantic by the second**

**I heard her muttering to herself, **_**"How could I be so stupid?" "How did I miss it?"**_

**Meanwhile almost everyone in the coffee shop was staring at us like we were crazy.**

**There were little conversations going on in the shop and then Angel yelled, probably scaring them all. We were almost to the door; shoving people out of the way. We hit the door and it flew open. We all ran outside and Angel immediately turned left; still holding on to my jacket sleeve. Dang she was strong!**

**She ran down a deserted alley; I saw her un-tuck her wings and I did the same. I guess we were doing an up and away. I yelled back at the others to get ready just as Angel jumped high in the air, letting her wings extend to their greatest length. I followed her and the others me.**

**We flew higher and higher making our way from the coffee shop. Angel rocketed forward getting her distance from the place as much as she could. **

**We flew for a while, in the direction of Max. That's when I heard the familiar beating of wings. I looked back but didn't see anything unusual. I heard it again, but louder this time. It sounded like a million birds were rising into the air at once. I ignored it but it just kept coming. Finally I stopped, getting annoyed at the sound, and realized that every one else had stopped too. Apparently it wasn't just me. **_**Phew!**_** I'm not crazy!**

**I looked around again but didn't see anything. **

"**No!" Angel screamed**

**In the same instant, hundreds of robots dropped down on us. These must be the new creations the Scientists made. Then I realized that these weren't just some ordinary robots. I looked at one of them and realized they were all the "people" at the coffee shop who had been staring at me. **

**I got hit from behind, but it didn't slow me down. I turned around at smacked one of them in the face. He dropped a few feet but came back up for more. These things were unbeatable. Ten of them surrounded me and I was done. They grabbed me from behind and pulled my arms tight behind me. How are they doing that without me flying? We were thousands of feet in the air!**

**I heard a gunshot, and a scream. I looked around quickly observing the scene. Everyone had been captured just like me. I saw one robot holding a gun out and saw with horror who had been shot. **

**Gazzy was plummeting towards the earth at 100mph and no one was going after him; we were being held against our will and it looked as if the robots didn't care.**

**Sadness and anger flooded through me. Gazzy was about to die.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ch 5:**

_**Emotional Breakthrough **_

**Fangs pov.**

**All the emotion in me finally came out. I ripped my arms out of the robots arms and socked them in their thoroughly confused faces. They both went down hard, spiraling towards the earth. I couldn't control my anger and pain anymore. I was like a killing machine. I kicked, punched, ripped and mutilated robot after robot. The others were free, doing what they do best. Angel was controlling groups of robots at a time to pull their wings in and drop to their death, Nudge was zipping in and around robots knocking them out, Melanie was using her water skill to consume the robots and suffocate them, Jake was in a head to head fight, using his skill to see into the future, with what looked like the leader of the robot group, and Dylan was killing robot after robot; probably just as mad as I was about this whole situation. The only people I couldn't find was Gazzy who was spiraling towards his death…OH MY GOD I FORGOT ABOUT GAZZY! I looked down, complete terror washing through me until I saw a sight that made me want to cry out in relief (Which I don't do often.) Iggy was hovering in place below the fight holding a limp and un-conscience Gazzy in his hands. How he had caught up to Gazzy and saved him beats me. I looked around and saw that almost all the robots were dead. The only ones that were left was the leader who Jake was still fighting, and a group who Angel and Melanie were taking care of together. I flew over to Jake to help him take down the leader.**

"**Your going down Ryan," I heard Jake yell**

"**I wouldn't be talking short stuff," he paused and looked at me**

"**Oh and by the way Fang I thought you should know that your precious Max is dead; you're too late" he yelled at me with a smirk**

**Max is dead was the last thought that went through my mind before I felt a sharp intense pain in the back of my head and blacked out.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I am so very sorry for not updating sooner! I know this is a very short chapter but I will update a longer one that is already written along with my explanation as to my long absence later today…Again! I am so very sorry!**

**Talk to you soon!**

**-Mortalfire101-**

****

**Ch. 6**

_**The Beginning of the End**_

**Anonymous pov.**

**They won't be able to last much longer on their own. The leader Max was dying and even if they got there soon there is no way to save her. It would be a miracle if she pulled through.**

**I'll give them until tomorrow until I intervene. If everything goes according to plan…they will all be dead along with their **_**precious**_** leader Max. **

**They are all so weak and loosing hope that they will put all their trust in me. After that, phase one will be complete and I'll be in charge.**

**Iggy's pov.**

**Gazzy is bleeding to death from the bullet wound in his chest, one of Nudge's wings is broken, Angel has bruises and cuts covering her whole body, Jake is to sore to move any of his limbs, Melanie is unconscious because she used up all of her energy using her water skill on the robots, about half of Dylan's ribs are broken and he has a nasty cut slashed across his forehead and all the way down his neck to the top of his right shoulder blade, Fang is unconscious because of the flipping robot that smacked him in the back of the head, and I have a broken leg and arm. But that's not even the best part. Trust me, it gets better. None of us are healing. We are genetically made to heal fast but no ones broken bones are healing, and we all feel like crap. Isn't that just fan-freaking-tastic? **

**We are currently in a motel about 10 miles from where we were attacked by those whack-bots. We would have flown farther away but Dylan had to carry Fang, Jake had to carry Nudge, Angel struggled to carry Gazzy, while I was stuck with Melanie. **

**Thoughts of Max and what those insane "scientist's" were doing to her right now filtered in to my mind. We had taken up too much time. There was no chance that we were going to make it to her and save her in the conditions we were in right now. Max was going to die and we had failed to save her. **

**I'm sorry Max. So very sorry.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: It's been over a month since I last updated and I feel terrible! I. Am. So. Sorry! Please, please, please forgive me? The last month and a half have been so hectic with the end of school, testing, final grades and all that junk…I really wish I could've had more time to update but I am thoroughly convinced that my teachers hate me and that's why they are all packing another six chapters and five papers into one week before finals. Anyways, I just wanted to say I'm sorry and leave a notice that I probably won't be able to update regularly for a little while. For at least fifteen days that is (which is when I finally get out of school! Woohoo:D ). After that I will try my hardest to update my story every time I get a chance! This week I will update the short chapter before this one, this chapter, and one or two after that. That is a promise! Please be patient with me! I truly am sorry! **

**Btw, I tried to update chapter five a while ago and I thought I did but I guess not…sooo…I posted that one today too. This means you will get two short chapters and a longer one today! YAY**

**Until next time my lovely readers!**

**-Mortalfrie101-**

****

**Chapter 7:**

**Terrible pain and a tranquilizer dart**

**Max's Pov. :**

I can honestly say that I can't remember much. It's all a foggy blur. The little that I do remember isn't so great but I will take what I can get.

I know it's been at least a month when I first got thrown into this cage. I know I have a flock and I remember all of their names. I remember Fang leaving and getting kidnapped by some creepy guy who snuck into my room. And I remember passing out in a cage. That's about it. The only thing I can remember after that is blackness and pain.

I couldn't get out…I was stuck in my worst nightmare and I was completely incapable of doing anything about it. There was black everywhere and I couldn't see my hand even if I put it right in front of my face. I felt so alone and helpless.

I woke up an hour ago to scientists staring at me as if they were drowning in a large ocean and I was the only life raft for miles. Well that's not creepy at all…Anyways…like I said before; there were about twenty-five scientists all crowded into my tiny holding cell staring at me and I got the weirdest feeling that I wasn't supposed to survive whatever it was that they did to me.

They un-strapped me from the cold metal table and I jumped off and ran into the corner. I realized with shock that all my cuts, bruises, and broken bones were healed and I looked healthier than I ever had before. I looked up and saw all the scientists still staring at me and I felt like I was trapped.

I have always been claustrophobic, but come on! How could you blame me? I basically grew up in a cage that was most likely made for a Chihuahua. My slow, even breathing turned into short, shallow gasps. My vision turned red and I saw everything clearly. I could see every speck of dust in every corner of the room, I could smell every odor leaking off of every single thing in this small enclosed space, I could feel the cool linoleum under my bare feet and hands, and I could hear every single thing coming from here to about a mile away. Everything happened in a flash and I was so engrossed in these new sensations that I didn't hear the building snarl deep down in my chest until it ripped up my throat and through my bared teeth. I saw all the scientist's eyes pop out of their heads and heard a few of them squeak in terror. They all rushed towards the door in order to be the first one out and it wasn't until they were all out that I finally relaxed and every thing went back to normal. I looked down at myself and it was literally ten seconds later when agonizing pain shot up my whole body, crashing down on me like a wave. I let out a blood curdling scream and curled into a tight ball. I lifted my hands to encompass my head and grip my hair hoping that it would stop.

My hold on my head only tightened when more pain shot through me. I felt liquid running down my hands and arms, pooling around me at an alarmingly fast rate. I pulled my hands off of my head and looked at them. I screamed in horror as I saw the claws growing out of my fingers. I brought my right hand up to my scalp and felt five small, but thorough holes in my head on both sides of my skull. I reached up and clawed at the walls, leaving red gashes in their place. The gashes came from my gruesome claws and the red color from the blood still pouring from my head. I screamed again and heard the door slam open across the room and make a huge _bang!_ as it hit the wall behind it. I covered my ears with the palms of my hands and screeched. My hearing had only gotten better since I had first woken up and the door slamming open would surly leave me with a head splitting migraine.

I saw a familiar looking man run through the doorway and hold a gun at me. I shrieked and tried to run from my corner but when I moved my leg more shooting pain flew up my it. I tucked myself into a small ball again and prayed to every single god that I had ever heard of that this pain would go away, the man with the gun would leave, and I would wake up and realize it was all just a terrible dream. But, no. Instead I felt a pinch in the back of my thigh and when I looked to see what it was I saw from my peripherals, the man slowly back out of the room and run down the hallway screaming some nonsense to the other lab coats that were surly there. The room started to sway and the last thing I saw before my world faded into black ribbons of nothingness was a tranquilizer dart lodged into the middle of my left thigh.

The only thing that floated through my mind was thank goodness there won't be anymore pain.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

_**Another Dark Day**_

**Max's pov. **

**It was a dull pain, but it was still there. My whole body had been aching since I had first woken up. I found out that the man who had knocked me out with a tranquilizer dart, had in fact, been Jeb. Not just him but the entire group of lab coats that worked at the school had been surprised that I had woken up at all. They were planning on killing me, by putting me to sleep, but my body didn't respond to the medicine like it was supposed to. Instead, it transformed me into something else. All of this I had heard coming from a couple halls down. **

**I still wasn't able to move or open my eyes. I was stuck once again, in a dark place and I won't be able to get out until they figure out what to do with me. In my mind I thought of myself now, as my own worst enemy. I don't think I can take in anymore. I am going to make a plan and I will get out of here if it's the last thing I do. **

**My body started to shut off and I felt myself slowly start to drift away into another dreamless sleep, only to wake up to another dark day. Before I was able to fully fall asleep, I heard something that would stay with me forever. **

"**She's been asleep for a year now; we have to wake her up," the unknown man said. **

"**No, it's too soon," a deep voice rumbled.**

"**What about her family?" the man replied.**

"**They won't be alive for long if Ash follows through with the plan."**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I hope you like it! **

**Chapter 9:**

_**My Own Worst Enemy**_

**Max's Pov. **

**My eyes snapped open and automatically flashed to the lab coat that was standing next to me. I heard a faint **_**beep, beep**_** coming from a corner of the room. My hands and feet were tied down again and I struggled to free myself. The man reached down and laid a hand on my right arm, trying to calm me down.**

"**It's ok, I won't hurt you," the man said.**

**Yeah, I highly doubted that so I struggled even harder to get away.**

"**Please trust me!" the man squeaked out, as if he had rehearsed what to say if one of the experiments tried to escape. Hmmm…I wonder if they have a manual for people who are interested in becoming insane scientists that torture poor, helpless humans and mutate them for their own research. Well that is certainly something to think about.**

**Wait a second. I know I've heard that voice somewhere before. It was the same voice that I had heard talking to another lab coat down the hall. He had grey glasses that slipped down his nose, black hair and brown eyes. I looked at his coat to see if he had a name. There wasn't a name badge anywhere on him so I guess I'll just call him Cream Puff. Ya know? Because cream is white and so is his lab coat, and puff because he is a little on the heavy side. What? You don't get it? Well never mind then…some people just don't appreciate my genius. Anyways…back to the matter at hand.**

**I licked my lips and opened my mouth, getting ready to speak. I meant to ask about the flock but before I could stop it, another question that had been bothering me floated out instead. **

"**How long have I been asleep?" I asked.**

**The man looked relieved that I had finally stopped trying to get away and said, "A little over two years."**

"**Okay," I replied trying to let him know that I was fine and maybe he would leave. **

"**I was sent in here to check if you were able to wake up successfully, but you will be in here for a couple hours until they come to get you for testing," he said. **

**I nodded my head and he turned to leave. I heard the **_**click**_** of the door closing and I looked down at myself to see the damage that had been done. I knew what to expect, but I was still shocked by what I saw. Tears leaked out of my eyes and rolled down my face, while a small sob ripped its way up my throat. I was truly my own enemy now. I was now part bird, part wolf. **

**A/N: Sooo…tell me what you think! Were you expecting that? , What do you want/think will happen next? , and will Max and Fang ever get together or will Max fall for another person? Review, and tell me your thoughts!**

**I promise I will post chapter ten soon!**

**Talk too you soon my lovely readers!**

**-Mortalfire101-**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10:**

_**Freedom and Food**_

**Max's pov.**

**They had actually broken me. I was hollow inside and out, but that didn't mean I wasn't going to try to get out. I just couldn't take it anymore. My worst nightmare had become my reality. My mind focused on one thing and that was the door across from me that would lead to the beginning of my freedom. A huge surge of adrenalin rushed through me and I wrenched my right arm up towards the roof; a plan already in mind. The metal cuff that had once locked my arm down, shot into the air and clattered to the floor. I did that and released my other arm and legs in a matter of seconds. I jumped up on the metal table, crouching low, and searching for any enemies in the room as if on instinct. The only person left in the room was me and there weren't any cameras around so I hopped off of the table and ran to door. I flung the door open so hard and fast that I'm pretty sure it left a mark on the wall behind it. I ran down hallway after hallway and skidded around corners, frantically searching for a way out. I heard foot steps pounding on the ground behind me, and alarms blaring all around the building that would alert everyone an experiment had gotten out.**

**My brain reminded me that the experiment that had escaped was me and I bolted around another corner. Up ahead I saw a door with a padlock and I ran over too it, not even thinking twice before I had grabbed the lock and ripped it off of the door. I kicked the door open and rushed outside. A large, metal hand came crashing down on my shoulder and I swung around to face my attacker. There was only one but I knew more would be here soon. The hand that was still on my shoulder squeezed me so tight that I started to lose circulation. I grabbed its hand, twisted it and threw him over my shoulder. I kicked him in the face for good measure and ran towards a huge rock like thing in the corner of the courtyard. I leapt onto it and pushed myself into the air. My wings snapped open and I beat up and down, flying higher and higher. My hair flew behind me along with any coherent thought as I took in large gulps of fresh air. The sun hit my face, warming my frozen body, as I looked around me. I saw the big blue sky that I remember from my memories, the soft grass that would tickle my feet as I ran, and the big trees that would stand forever tall. It had been over two years since I had been outside and it was even more amazing than I remembered. **

**I heard buzzing from behind me and I whipped around too see almost two-hundred of the same robots and erasers with wings staring at me. What looked like the leader flew forward, stopping a few feet away from me. **

"**Don't try to escape. You will only get hurt," it said in a monotonous voice.**

**I smirked and looked him straight in the eyes before saying, "I will always escape, and pain is just a message to me. You have never experienced the kind of pain that I have had to endure, and you never will. You will never be able to take me out, and you can go ahead and tell that to your friends down there too." **

**I nodded to all the lab coats that were standing under us, looking up while half-covering their eyes from the harsh rays of the sun. All the robots and erasers looked down and I took my chance. I spun around and rocketed out of there, flying at an un-natural speed. I flew away from all the bad memories, and the place where my nightmares all started. **

**I had escaped and it was the first time I had been happy in over two years. Now all I needed was some very delicious food. **


	11. Chapter 11

**Ch 11: **

**A homeless person and a very delicious taco**

**Max's pov.**

I had been on the run for a week now and I don't think I can go any farther without passing out from lack of food. I had been running without a plan and from past experience I have come to know that that is never a good idea. My feet were killing me, my head was hurting, and I could barely concentrate on anything in front of me because I was so dizzy. I knew that if I turned into my wolf form this would probably be a lot easier and I would get around faster but I'm afraid that if I look like them I will start to turn into one of them. An erasers only purpose is to hurt, and kill and I want absolutely nothing to do with that.

I looked around at my surroundings and saw empty buildings on both sides of the street that I was numbly walking through. They all had a few broken windows here and there, some had busted down front doors, and they all reeked of abandonment. It seemed as if no one had been here for years. Almost like a ghost town.

A tumble weed rolled across the street in front of me and the wind picked up; blowing my hair in disarray around me. Dirt tried to attack my eyes and I half covered them trying to see in front of me. I saw a dark shape slowly make its way towards me, and I narrowed my eyes to try and see them better. My ripped and torn clothes would probably give off the impression of a homeless person, and I felt like I was in one of those cliché cowboy movies where someone counts to three and both of the cowboys rip their guns out of their holsters and try to kill the other person before they get shot first. My eyes flitted around the empty street looking for some sort of weapon that I could use to take out this person just in case they were an eraser.

Before I could find anything of use, the person came close enough for me too see them and I froze in place. He had grayish/white hair and blackish/grey eyes that gave off the impression of ash (If that makes sense to anyone other than myself). He was slightly tan but mostly pale and I could see his huge muscles, slightly, bulging out of his black t-shirt. His tan slacks stopped just above his knees and his black converse looked like they had seen better days.

"Who are you?" I tried to say confidently, but it came out as more of a hoarse whisper due to my lack of talking.

"My name is Ash (well that makes sense). Who are you?" he said back.

I chuckled and gave him a small smirk before replying, "My name is Max."

I saw recognition flash through his eyes for a second before it disappeared. "Hi Max. I was just passing through this town and I ended up staying the night in that building over there. You look like you could use a shower and they have one where I'm staying. Would you like to use it?" he asked me.

Now I don't trust people easily but for some reason I felt like I could trust this guy. Not trying to seem too rude I gave a small nod and said, "That would be great." And then I added a "thank you" in there for the heck of it.

He nodded back and I saw the edges of his mouth lift in a barely there smile. He made a _come_ _on _motion too me with his hand before he turned on his heel and started walking towards a small, run-down motel on the corner of one of the streets. I jogged after him, trying too keep up with his large strides. My brain started to get a little foggy and before I new it I was standing in front of a motel door. He put one hand on the rusty handle and rested his right shoulder on the door before giving a hard shove. The door squeaked on its hinges as it flew open. He motioned for me too go threw and I took a few uncertain steps inside and looked around. There was barely any thing in it other than a small tv set, a twin sized bed, a couch, a refrigerator, and a door that I assumed led to the shower. I walked over too the couch and sat down as I heard the door fly through the air and slam shut. I twiddled by thumbs and looked up when I saw him come to stand in front of me. He had a white, fluffy towel in one hand, and a large water bottle in the other. He handed me the water bottle first and I looked at him gratefully as I took it and chugged the whole thing down in under five seconds. I felt my cheeks heat up at what I had just done, but he only smiled and held the towel out to me. He pointed to the door behind him and said, "The shower is through that door. When you come out I have some food you can have and you are welcome to spend the night here if you'd like." I stared at him in shock. No one had ever been this kind to me. Especially when I was wearing dirty, torn up clothes that made me look like an insane hobo trying to steal your money.

"Thank you," I said with sincerity.

He nodded and smiled again before walking over to the refrigerator and shuffling through it. I got up and made my way towards the bathroom; dead-set on washing all this grime off of my body. My brain went all fuzzy again and it seemed as if some one had pushed a fast forward button, because the next thing I new, I was sitting on the couch again in the same clothes but cleaner than I was before. My wet hair was dripping down my back, so I reached around my head and pulled it all off to one side.

Ash came to stand in front of me, holding a paper bag in his hands that gave off an aroma that smelled like it came from the gods personally. My eyes widened and I could feel my claws starting to come out of my fingers. If he didn't give me what ever was in that bag in the next ten seconds, I would literally kill him. He smiled a full blown grin as if he knew what I was thinking and said, "This is for you." He handed me the bag, and with animalistic like tendencies, I ripped the bag in half and twenty taco's came tumbling into my lap. I grabbed one and shoved the whole thing into my mouth. Five minutes later and I had the last delicious taco in my hand. I took a bite and savored the amazing taste as I chewed and swallowed the rest of the taco. I looked up when I finished and saw Ash's shoulders shaking as if he was trying to keep from laughing. I growled at him, not liking being made fun of, and he stopped instantly. His face turned serious and he got an intense look on his face as he said, "I think you should sleep. You look like you need it."

I nodded my consent and he walked over to a small window and closed the blinds. The room was thrown into darkness and I heard his feet shuffle over to the bed. I heard him lie down, and I stretched myself across the whole couch and lay down, in need of a serious nap. I closed my eyes and thought of my family, and feeling a pang in my chest as I thought of what could have happened to them while I was gone. With that I fell asleep, having no idea what would happen tomorrow, but it couldn't be any worse than what I've already gone through. I had no idea how wrong I was.

**A/N: Hey guys! I felt really bad for not updating for so long, so I wrote this really quick**** it will probably have a lot of mistakes so please forgive me! Thank you to every one who has stuck with me through this whole process so far! I love you guys!**

**-Mortalfire101-**


	12. Chapter 12

**Facing Reality**

**Max's pov. **

_Dream:_

_I knew this was a dream, but I couldn't help the feeling that it was familiar. Like I knew this place from a memory far away, in a place where it couldn't be reached; stored in a locked box that I didn't have the key too. _

_I was currently walking down a hallway painted in white. The lights above me poured down and seemed to cocoon me in their, surprisingly, warm rays. The floor felt smooth, and cool under my bare feet, and the small breeze carefully pushed my hair around my face. I felt whole again, and peace overwhelmed me as it brought me into its gentle embrace. I hadn't felt this good in a very, very long time. _

_My feet kept moving, one step after another, as if they knew where they were going, while my hands swayed back and forth next to me as if they had a mind of their own. I looked down and studied myself, and couldn't believe what I saw. I looked perfect. No scars marred my body from any of the previous fights I had been in, the dirt and grime that I hadn't been able to wash off in the shower seemed to have been cleaned off, my nails were perfectly cut, and my hair was lying around my face in perfect ringlets. My clothes were the ones I had been wearing when I escaped the school, but they looked as if I had just bought and ironed them. I didn't look like a homeless person, and the only thing that could explain this had my whole body freezing in surprise. _

_Holy shit, I'm in Heaven._

_This probably wouldn't have surprised me if I hadn't completely convinced myself that hell was in store for me when I died. I mean, I killed people (well not technically people. They were more on the hairy, rabid, flesh eating side of the spectrum; but still.), I cussed (consistently), I thought bad thoughts about people (and on more than one occasion said it to their faces), and all in all just didn't believe in God in general. If everyone went through the shit I did, who would? I didn't think there was a God because if there was, he would never let me go through everything that I have gone through if he loved me, and yet I still thanked him when something amazing and good happened in my life. With all these factors going against me, I totally thought I was screwed. But I guess that's just me being a pessimist, because here I was. The only thing suckish about this was the fact that I had died and didn't get to say goodbye to my family. _

_Wait. How did I die again? I wracked my brain, trying to pull up the memory but nothing came to mind. I was completely puzzled and was deep in thought (how corny) when a voice next to me spoke up and scared the shit out of me. _

"_You're not dead Maximum, and this is certainly not Heaven," it said_

"_Dang it! And I had worked so hard for it too," I said sarcastically as I turned to the person next to me, pretending like it didn't make me want to scream like a little girl when they ninja'd their way next to me without me noticing them. _

_Let me tell you that who I was expecting to see didn't come even remotely close to who was there. I turned to my right and saw a woman with brown, curly hair, a slight tan, slightly hunched over but around the same height as me, with eyes the color of un-barfed chocolate. I would have said it was another me, but the slight rings of color under her eyes that showed of long, restless nights, and the nails that had been bitten to stubs looked like what I once was. What I wasn't anymore. _

_She turned her body slowly, as if she was in pain, to look at me. She tried to smile, but she seemed so exhausted that her mouth didn't want to move and instead ended up with a painful, tired grimace. "You're not dead Maximum," she said again._

"_Then where am I, if this isn't heaven," I replied, trying to keep the sarcasm low as I felt empathy for the woman standing before me. _

"_This is your imagination, and I am a part of you. Your conscience per-se," she said slowly, as if trying not to scare me with this new information. _

"_Wh-what are you doing here? And my imagination? I can't be this boring!" _

"_You aren't boring. You have quite an active imagination, but today you needed somewhere peaceful, and quite so you dug up this place," she said quietly_

"_What do you mean dug up?" I answered hastily, on the verge of interrupting her._

"_You have come here before. When you were little, and they were first experimenting on you, your body had experienced something so exhausting and soul wrenching, that in order to survive and keep you from complete combustion, your mind made this place so you could get the rest you so desperately needed," she replied, and an actual smile adorned her face, as if she were proud of me for doing this. "You are quite an amazing person Maximum. But this is not what I came here to talk to you about," she held up a hand to silence me, as if she knew what I was about to do. "I was brought here to warn you. Your family needs you Maximum. You need to go to them, but you can trust no one. They have sent people after you, to destroy you, and they are hoping you will lead them to your family," she told me urgently, her voice getting higher as she spoke._

"_So what do I do?" I answered, panicking. _

"_There is only one thing you can do Maximum. The one thing you have been trying to keep inside of you. The one thing that you are completely afraid of,"_

"_NO! I don't want to be one of them! You can't make me!" I yelled at her, understanding what she meant at once._

"_No one knows what you look like in wolf form except for yourself. They wouldn't know it was you, and neither would your family. Your family can't know you're alive yet Maximum, they have to keep thinking your dead, if only for a little while. It's the only way to protect them," she replied_

"_There has to be another way!" I yelled again, almost in tears._

"_Remember Maximum, trust no one," she said quietly, disregarding anything I had been saying._

_Everything started to go dark and the woman gave me a soft smile before disappearing completely. The floor slipped out from under me, and I fell. _

"NO!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. I sat up quickly and fell off the couch. I scrambled into a standing positionand looked around me, assessing my surroundings. Everything seemed exactly the same, except for Ash who was standing a few feet away, looking more pale than usual. He had one hand halfway stretched out to me, as if he were going to try and comfort me but not sure if I would bight his hand off or not.

My heart beat slowly came down, and the sound of blood rushing in my ears came to a stop. My labored breathing turned into small gasps, as I remembered the dream I had just had. "Are you ok?" Ash asked; his hand still slightly out toward me. My mouth opened and closed while I tried to bring up a coherent thought. The woman's last words rang in my ears, and the hand that was once seen as comforting, turned into a hairy claw. 

"_Remember Maximum, trust no one."_

I skidded backwards a few steps and said, "Thank you so much for letting me stay here, but I need to get going now." I said

"Are you sure you don't want to stay another night? I could show you around and I'm pretty sure you could use another night's sleep," he answered kindly

"No thank you, I _really_ need to get going," I turned on my heel and clawed at the handle until in turned all the way and flew open, slamming against the wall with a huge _bang_. I bolted down the hallway and the first set of stairs that I saw, not quite remembering the way I had come in. I looked around frantically, searching for a way out. A bright Exit sign flickered a little way's down the hallway, and I was standing next to it in a matter of seconds. I pushed on the metal bar and the door went flying. I took my first step out and found empty space. The stairs that had once been there looked like they had been blown to smithereens. I grabbed the door frame just in time, and held on to it for dear life. I drew in a lungful of air, and tried to calm my heart before it flew out of my chest. I suddenly jerked forward and before I knew what was happening, I was falling through the air, loosing my grip on the door frame, as if someone had pushed me from behind. I turned myself over as my feet lost their balance on the floor, and clawed at the air, searching for something to hold on to. I saw a familiar pair of grayish/white eyes, filled with what looked like fake horror as I slowly fell to my death.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13: New York Angels**_

Max's Pov.

You know that feeling you get when you're sleeping and all of a sudden you start falling? Your stomach flies into your throat and you know you're going to die even though all you can see is never ending blackness all around? Times that feeling by a million. And instead of blackness you see ten wolves with sharp canines and eyes filled with blood lust as they look up at you from the ground you are rocketing towards. Yeah…I know.

You're all probably thinking: why the hell aren't you using your wings dumbass? And this is my response: I have no idea. My wings snap out, and then get painfully ripped behind me, as I catch a current and shoot up towards the sky. I look down to see Ash scowling in the doorway of the building and the erasers on the ground howling because of their getaway snack.

And then the guns come out.

"Are you kidding me?" I scream out. Can I not catch one break? This is really starting to become ridiculous.

I see a small red dot appear on the left sleeve of my shirt and Ash smiling wildly from below as he points his hunting rifle at me. I swerve to the right too late and my scream of agony drowns out the sound of all the erasers cries of hunger. I feel the bullet rip through my shoulder and fly through my bone, snapping it completely in half. My right hand flies to the hole and fear grips me. It just missed my heart.

"They don't need you anymore!" Ash taunts. "You are a complete failure!"

Blood is streaming out of me and I already feel dizzy. Black spots begin to fill my vision and I drop as my wings falter for a few seconds. I shake my head and am able to keep myself up, just barely. My fight or flight response has been buzzing uncontrollably and I do the only thing I find reasonable. I fly as fast as I can away from the erasers and Ash, slowly drifting closer and closer to the ground as I go.

I can feel myself losing consciousness as my feet drift limply behind me. By sheer willpower only was I able to fly as long as I did. I make it to the edge of a large city, not too far away, and the only things I can make out are a small café and large skyscrapers all around it in every direction. My wings flop out behind me as I crash face first into the pavement at the base of a large trash bin in an alley. My body stops responding and I can't even make my fingers twitch.

"_Someone's coming Max! You have to turn now!" _The voice from my dream yells.

I moan out loud and close my eyes, wishing for death. The large amount of blood loss from the bullet wound has made my whole body feel numb. On top of that I hear footsteps coming towards the alley, and here I am lying in a puddle of my own blood with wings sticking out of my back. It would probably be better for someone to find a stray dog lying here rather than a human/ bird kid.

Warmth starts to fill me as the footsteps come closer and closer to where I'm lying. I can hear my bones snapping as they reshape themselves and pressure starts to build in my head. I hear a final _crack_ as one of my arms assumes the position of a dog's leg. I finally lose consciousness and the last thing I hear is the beating of wings. Almost like angels.


End file.
